Capitaine Train – An Improvement in Booking European Train Tickets?

[gerardcarey]

For those of us who have difficulty booking train tickets in Europe, especially for French trains on our way to and from our Caminos, there may be a light emerging at the end of the tunnel.

Capitaine Train appears to be the first booking site to offer tickets to both the French railway SNCF and the German rail company Deutsche Bahn. And is working at getting others.

A potted history so far from the net publication NetCrunch;
http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/28/ho...ing-train-ticket-booking-through-engineering/

A Q&A session with their client services manager on another publication, tnooz.
http://www.tnooz.com/article/capita...ed-website-for-booking-european-rail-tickets/

I signed up to some advisory email of theirs over the past week and yesterday I received an email.
I clicked thru to “Bookings” and entered, just for fun, Paris Montparnasse to Bayonne and selected a travel date in September 2014.
Up came the available services on that day with seat prices for 1st & 2nd class. Amazing in itself as normally I can only access dates 90 days in advance, certainly not 5 months.
Then came another surprise. The price of a second class ticket on the 7.28am train, 19Euros.
As I wasn't prepared to take the booking further it's possible I would have been in for a disappointment on both booking the seat and getting the price.

Then I noticed another little section on the website.
Pre-booked tickets
Never miss out on a ticket again. When you keep a ticket in your shopping cart it is automatically pre-booked and on-hold for you. Pay for your guaranteed seat and price whenever you wish.

Seems as tho Capitaine Train will be worth serious consideration when I come to book four seats for September this year.
Altho I repeatedly hear that air travel from Paris to Biarritz is cheaper than train travel, I have never paid more than 40 Euros for a 2nd class seat on this journey. I book well in advance.
And I always get to enjoy the wonderful French countryside in comfort on the 5+ hour journey south.
I wouldn't fly Paris to Biarritz for all the tea in China!

I know we have some seriously knowlegeable travel members on the forum and I would appreciate your comments.

Regds
Gerard.

 

[peregrina2000]

For those of us who have difficulty booking train tickets in Europe, especially for French trains on our way to and from our Caminos, there may be a light emerging at the end of the tunnel.

Capitaine Train appears to be the first booking site to offer tickets to both the French railway SNCF and the German rail company Deutsche Bahn. And is working at getting others.

I know we have some seriously knowlegeable travel members on the forum and I would appreciate your comments.

Regds
Gerard.

Though I am not seriously knowledgeable, I do qualify as someone who has repeatedly been "seriously frustrated" booking train tickets. I have found good reliable online brokers such as Petrabax and RailEuope, but the problem is the high fees they charge. One of the articles on Capitaine Traine says they will charge very little, about 4 euros on a 100 euros ticket. They will give the big guys a run for the money with fees that low. And now if they can only get access to RENFE!!!!! Thanks for this information, Gerard!

 

[Kanga]

Gerard, if they keep the fees to a few euros it will be a winner.

 

[gerardcarey]

And now if they can only get access to RENFE!!!!! Thanks for this information, Gerard!

And get us access to the French version of the Tarjeta Dorada!
We'd be in heaven!

 

[gerardcarey]

Gerard, if they keep the fees to a few euros it will be a winner.

I think the sales figures so far attained would attest to that happening.
They'll have to go on my watchlist of stocks to buy if they float on the french market!